Legislative

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

This is our most urgent Call to Action to date. Please read and respond quickly...

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday 4/20), Senator Seliger (R - Amarillo) will present a plan to the Senate Finance Committee. It is an alternative funding scheme for education addressing the next two years.

This amendment is TERRIBLE for SBISD.

To sum it up, in the first year, some districts lose no money, while SBISD loses $14.7 million (over 6% of their education funding). The real kicker is in the second year: many districts will lose LESS THAN 1%, while SBISD loses over $32 million (13%).

This Seliger amendment is not fair. SBISD should not have to shoulder significantly more of the shortfall in revenue than other districts.

Some lobbying organizations have already called on their members to support the Seliger amendment. We cannot allow their voices to be the only ones heard in the Senate offices before the vote tomorrow morning.

CALL TO ACTION:

Email the Senators listed below tonight or tomorrow morning and ask them to:

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Spring Branch Speaks has issued the following update on House Bill 1 (the House Appropriations Bill):

UPDATE - House Bill 1

Unfortunately, the Texas House of Representatives passed HB 1 on Sunday. This version of the 2011-2013 State budget includes steep cuts for education. As the process continues, members of the House and the Senate must now work together to negotiate a budget both can agree on. Then, the Governor must sign on as well.

Texas already spends less on our students than 43 other states 1. Cuts in education will not only decrease the effectiveness of our schools, but surely hinder our students when compared nationally. To make matters worse for SBISD, many of the current projections have Spring Branch ISD shouldering a greater than average share of the cuts, all while our district contributes more than average to the state's education fund through local tax that the state "recaptures" with Robin Hood and other complicated education funding rules.

The lawmakers know they are on thin ice with many of their constituents. Representative Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, said "Some of the cuts, especially in public education, are going to be devastating...we're all going to be just overcome with the phone calls that we're going to get from people in our districts to encourage us to take a closer look." 2

Cuts hit home.

The reality of what these state budget cuts will do to our neighborhood schools is becoming clear. In a press release today, SBISD began to outline how the slashed education budget will impact our kids. As stated in the release, "[t]hese cuts...will have a significant impact on the ability of SBISD to provide a quality education for our students."

SBISD will eliminate 350 positions (about 7 percent of employees). Attrition only accounts for a small percentage of these employees, unfortunately. And SBISD was clear - these cuts are not efficiencies but solely in reaction to the budget cuts.

As the debate continues, and as the lawmakers appoint a Committee to negotiate a budget that the House and Senate can approve, we must continue to pressure our lawmakers to protect the future of Texas. We will continue to update you and request specific action.

NOTE on HB 275 - using Rainy Day funds for this year's budget...

Thanks to your efforts before Spring Break, the House of Representatives has passed HB 275 utilizing some of the Rainy Day Fund to cover the short fall in this year's budget. Thank you for all of your work contacting the Appropriations Committee regarding this bill.

Below is the email sent out by Dr. Klussmann regarding the cuts our Board approved last night to address the anticipated State funding cuts. As I state in the email:

The reductions in State funding break the State’s promise made in 2006 and will present extraordinary challenges for Spring Branch to continue to provide the quality of education for our students that our community expects and deserves.

For many years, the SBISD Administration and Board have had a rigorous budgeting process that has been focused on making sure every dollar was wisely spent with the goal of improving student performance. The unfortunate result of the State's funding reduction is that SBISD does not have any way to reduce costs without a significant impact on the classroom. This is indeed a sad day for Spring Branch and for Texas, and it is my hope that the Legislature hears the pleas of our community and communities around the State that these severe cuts in funding, which will damage the future of Texas, should not be allowed to stand.

State funding shortfall results in district budget decisions

As a direct result of the anticipated significant drop in State funding for public education, the Spring Branch ISD Board of Trustees took action last night to adopt several measures that will reduce costs for the school district. These cuts, which are necessitated by the budget decisions being made in Austin, will have a significant impact on the ability of SBISD to provide a quality education for our students over time.

The measures approved by the SBISD Board are expected to reduce expenses for the 2011-12 school year by more than $17.5 million (roughly 7% of the district's general revenue budget) and will result in the elimination of approximately 350 positions (about 7% of employees) within SBISD. Roughly 70% of the eliminated positions are in non-teaching roles; about 30% of the eliminated positions are teachers. The District would not be making these reductions in the absence of the extreme funding reductions from the State.

Over the last three months, SBISD has worked aggressively to identify opportunities for these personnel reductions to be handled through attrition. However, the magnitude of the proposed State budget cuts has forced us to take far more difficult steps. SBISD plans to move as quickly as possible to inform impacted individuals and will continue to provide information and additional details.

"This is not what SBISD wants to be doing, but given the significant reduction in proposed funding in the State, the district needs to act in preparation for the 2011-12 school year. State law requires us to notify employees of contract action by April 15, 2011, far before the end of the Legislative Session," said Superintendent of Schools Duncan F. Klussmann.

Since 2003, SBISD has eliminated or reduced 195 non-teaching positions and reduced Departmental budgets by approximately $5 million. During the same period, we have added 108 teaching and counseling positions. Since 2008, we have used an estimated $14.7 million from our Fund Balance to maintain the SBISD educational program.

The State Legislature

SBISD continues to work to encourage the State to find a long-term solution that will allow for the proper funding of public education. The current State revenue shortfall is driven largely by the flawed changes made to public education funding in 2006, as well as the economic downturn.

In 2006, all state property taxpayers were told by the Texas Legislature that their property taxes would be lowered and that the funding loss to our schools would be made up through other taxes and revenue sources, including a new business or "margins" tax. The promise to make up for that funding loss has not been kept. The margins tax has produced significantly less revenue than expected and this has created a structural, or continuing, deficit for schools that must be addressed by the Texas Legislature. And now, despite the fact that our taxpayers will continue to pay the same amount in property taxes, the State is providing far less in per student funding to a system that already ranked 44th in the country in public education expenditures.

Much talk in Austin has focused on the lack of efficiency in school districts and it has been implied that these proposed reductions in funding can be accomplished solely through more efficient operations. In Spring Branch, we strive for efficiency with our 4.5 out of 5 point rating in the Texas Comptroller’s statewide efficiency study of school districts, known as FAST, or Financial Allocation Study for Texas. Based on what is being discussed in Austin, we are not being given any credit for our efficiency.

Extraordinary Challenges for Spring Branch

SBISD Board of Trustees President Mike Falick states, "The reductions in State funding break the State’s promise made in 2006 and will present extraordinary challenges for Spring Branch to continue to provide the quality of education for our students that our community expects and deserves.

“For many years, the SBISD Administration and Board have had a rigorous budgeting process that has been focused on making sure every dollar was wisely spent with the goal of improving student performance. The unfortunate result of the State's funding reduction is that SBISD does not have any way to reduce costs without a significant impact on the classroom. This is indeed a sad day for Spring Branch and for Texas, and it is my hope that the Legislature hears the pleas of our community and communities around the State that these severe cuts in funding, which will damage the future of Texas, should not be allowed to stand," the Board President also added.

SBISD Board of Trustees President Mike Falick states, "The reductions in State funding break the State’s promise made in 2006 and will present extraordinary challenges for Spring Branch to continue to provide the quality of education for our students that our community expects and deserves.

“For many years, the SBISD Administration and Board have had a rigorous budgeting process that has been focused on making sure every dollar was wisely spent with the goal of improving student performance. The unfortunate result of the State's funding reduction is that SBISD does not have any way to reduce costs without a significant impact on the classroom. This is indeed a sad day for Spring Branch and for Texas, and it is my hope that the Legislature hears the pleas of our community and communities around the State that these severe cuts in funding, which will damage the future of Texas, should not be allowed to stand," the Board President also added.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

On February 24, 2011, Spring Branch held a Legislative Town Hall meeting. A summary of the Town Hall prepared by Spring Branch is available here or after the jump below. In addition, the District recorded the meeting. The recordings appear in three parts below.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Spring Branch is hosting a Legislative Town Hall meeting on February 24, 2011, beginning at 6:00p in the Board Room at the Administration Building - 955 Campbell 77024. Given the current anticipated budgetary issues, this meeting will be a great opportunity to share information, ask questions, and learn how best to work with our legislators to protect the education of students in Spring Branch.

Don't miss our Legislative Town Hall on Feb. 24.

SBISD will host a special Legislative Town Hall meeting beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24. Please make sure to join us.

Legislative 101 Training Session Video Recap

On Jan. 27, many SBISD parents and community members attended a Legislative 101 Training and Information Session held at the HISD Administration Building. SBISD was joined by HISD and both Spring and Cypress-Fairbanks ISDs for this important meeting. At the meeting, school districts and local residents focused on they can work together on student-related issues.

David Thompson, a partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani LLP and an expert in public school financing, told the group that Texas faces its worst budget crisis since World War II. He said that the impact on schools would be lessened if Legislators used a so-called Rainy Day Fund, a $9 billion emergency savings account, among other strategies and tactics.

SBISD Legislative Priorities and Resources

SBISD has posted to its website a special document, titledLegislative Priorities for the 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature. At the site link, you will find contacts for local Legislators and a district map detailing State House and Senate districts. Read more >>

Why should you care about the State Legislature and how its leadership impacts SBISD students?

In 2005, state property taxpayers were told by the Texas Legislature that their property taxes would be lowered and that the funding loss to our schools would be made up through other taxes or revenue sources, including a new business or "margins" tax. That promise to make up for the funding loss has not been kept. The Texas Legislature must honor its commitment and restore this funding.

Reductions proposed in Austin would equate to 15% of SBISD's current funding. This represents a reduction of about $800 per student from the current $5,700 per student allotment, or $20,000 per classroom. Pictured in another way, this is the equivalent of one full class period being eliminated from every student's school day.

In 2006, the state froze school district revenue at the 2006 level. Since that time, in order to fund basic inflationary cost increases, including cost-of-living increases for our teachers, SBISD has made difficult non-campus reductions and used its savings to limit the direct effect on our classrooms. In fact, the current 2010-11 SBISD budget reflects reductions of more than $8 million to make ends meet. Unless the Legislature restores school funding, SBISD will no longer be able to keep the impact of yearly budget reductions away from its classrooms.

Our Priorities:

Spring Branch ISD students will graduate from high school on time and go on to successfully complete a 2-year technical degree, or a 2-year associate's degree, or a 4-year bachelor's degree.

To support this goal, the Legislature must:

provide SBISD with a revenue stream that is predictable, takes into account inflationary costs, and is not less than the amount SBISD currently receives;

exempt school districts from state mandates for which the Legislature has not appropriated funding sufficient to meet expenditures (for example, costs related to the 4X4 math/science requirement);

restore the authority of elected school boards to raise funds locally without a tax-rate election, and eliminate the requirement that any of these additional funds be sent to the state (Robin Hood);

return local control and responsibility over important issues, such as the school calendar, to elected school district trustees who are most accountable to the community on matters of public schools; and

provide high-performing school districts like SBISD with autonomy and flexibility over their educational program.

As the Texas Legislature continues to meet during the months ahead, reduced budgets and associated reductions will be more clearly defined. SBISD, in the meantime, will continue to communicate with Legislators and our community about what these cuts will mean to our students, our employees and the local community.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Texas Tribune, a fantastic online news source, has created a first-of-its-kind online data-driven application that allows you to search and track legislation in the current legislative session. As explained in detail (and video) below, the application allows you to search by category, bill number, author, caption, and description. While the Texas Legislature's website allows for some of this functionality, the Texas Tribune's app is far more robust, and seems to be much easier to use.

With the 82nd Legislative Session in only its second week, Texas lawmakers have already filed more than 900 bills — potential laws addressing hundreds of subjects ranging from abortion and immigration to health care and wrongful imprisonment.

Our latest data-driven application, released today, aims to help Texans make sense of the legislative process, tracking proposed pieces of legislation as they move through the Texas House and Senate during the next five months.

Users can search the bills by their assigned numbers, subject categories and captions, the short descriptions of each bill's intended purpose. Users can also search the bill by each author’s name. The application is also designed to put the data in context, giving users the ability to understand potential legislation in ways that traditionally would be used by reporters to write text stories.

The application, which will be updated early each morning, shows which lawmakers have filed the most bills and which subjects are the most popular. It also splits those figures out by political party and chamber.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Texas House has just posted the Draft Budget for the next biennium. The proposed cuts to Public Education are 23% of the current budgeted amount. I am looking over the numbers, but I am posting the Budget for you to download and review. Post your comments below.

(The Education budget is found in Article III which you can download here.)

(Click the image below to enlarge the summary, and click each of the links below to download the referenced section of the Budget. These are very large files, so they may take several minutes to download.)